Who's the drunkest of them all? Minnesota cracks the top 10 drunkest states

Minnesota's standing as the sixth-drunkest state in the nation makes sense when you consider that there's well over 100 craft breweries operating in the state. Ode IPA, seen here in this 2016 photo, hails from one of them - Castle Danger Brewery.(Photo: Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com)Buy Photo

Minnesota is the sixth drunkest state in the union, according to a new analysis from financial news and opinion website 24/7 Wall St. The Star of the North ranks between seventh-place Iowa and fifth-place Illinois and trails first-place winner (if you can call it that) North Dakota.

Wisconsin is number two. (We know you were wondering.)

To determine the rankings, 24/7 Wall Street reviewed the percentage of men and women over age 18 who report binge or heavy drinking in every state.

Binge drinking is defined by the CDC as four or more drinks in a single occasion for women and five or more for men. Heavy drinking is defined as at least eight drinks per week for women and 15 for men. The habit claims 90,000 lives per year, according to the CDC.

In Minnesota, 21.1 percent of adults report binge or heavy drinking, well above the national share of 18 percent.

First-place North Dakota, in comparison, reports 24.7 percent of adults binge drink or drink heavily, with Fargo its most inebriated city.

Infograph, infograph, on the wall - who's the drunkest of them all? North Dakota, actually - but Minnesota is close behind at number six.(Photo: USA Today)

On sobering note, as the state with the highest drinking rate, North Dakota is also the state with the highest rate of alcohol-related driving deaths. Alcohol consumption contributes to 46.7 percent of all road deaths in the state — far above the national average of 30 percent as well as Minnesota's stat, 30.9 percent.

So, why is it that 20 percent of Minnesotans love to indulge in inebriation? We're loaded! Seriously — yes, we're drunk, but we're also making more money than residents of other states.

Excessive drinking rates tend to be higher among wealthier populations, according to George Koob, director of the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Minnesota has a higher median household income than most states at $65,599 per year, which is well above the national median household income of $57,617.